Blog 10: "Where the Whale Be At?: The Place of Race and Racism in the Discussion of Environmentalism"

      Terry J. Cole wrote an interesting essay, including an important question, "So why should People of Color be concern about the environment?". He described how White people came from a different land, leaving their ancestors behind, and took over the New Land. It was described as misunderstanding the connection of the nature between People of Color and White People. Another point was made by how Black people don't have the same opportunity and access to healthy food, and that they live in areas where toxins are abandoned. Cole even researched the medical conditions of different races, he wrote that Black people have higher chance of getting many disease than the White people, mostly is caused by where they live.
   
      I agree with Cole's opinion about People of Color living in communities that are more exposed to toxic waste. I think it is mostly caused by the increasing price of rent in the areas with fresher air and cleaner environment. But my question is, should only People of Color be concern about the environment? 
      I say no, everyone should be concern about the environment because where we live, later on bounces of on our health. People in most parts of Manhattan have better access to the fruits and vegetables supplies, cleaner environment and more park space. This could be also the cause of the education level, jobs, income, and where people can afford to live. A person with low income will not rent out an apartment in Manhattan because the rent is too high. So what he/she will do, is search for an apartment where he/she can afford. Most likely it will be an environment close to a factory or far away from privileges, for ex. market place or public transportation. As the article, An Outer Borough Drought by Courtney Gross, says, "But out of Manhattan, greens get elusive. In the South Bronx, residents have about half of that supermarket space". It is true, and might be based on the average income of that community, but according to me it's because renting the space to open up a market might be too expensive, and to supply it with fresh fruits and vegetables could be too much of a cost.
      Where we live and how we eat, shouldn't be based on the color of our skin but on education and how much we earn. It's logical that if we have a low pay job we won't be able to live in a nice, clean neighborhood, and a super market close to our house, where we can supply ourselves with as much healthy food as possible. So what I think is, stop with the pity, get to work, and don't blame the color of your skin for how much you earn. It's America, everyone is EQUAL.  

Blog 9: Summary of The Meatrix

The Meatrix: The Pig named Leo, met a character called Moopheus. Moopheus want to show Leao what The Meatrix is, but only when he picks either blue pill, staying in fantasy world, or red pill, learning the truth about The Meatrix. Leo picks the red pill and is automatically transformed into a big factory farm, where animals are packed tightly in cages. Moopheus tells the story of how factory farming was invented, mainly to transform family farms into big factories where animals were fed with antibiotics, hormones, and were kept in an inhumante environment, and the land around those farms gets polluted.
The Meatrix Revolting: Now Leo is in the Real World with Moopheus tells how in the past 2 years, 10 million minds were freed from The Meatrix and how people are starting to buy healthier animal products.But the battle is not over, when they get to the Fantasy World at first Leo is blinded by the perfect farm. Later he puts on the glasses and sees the Real Farm. The cows are unhappy and packed tight together, their tails are cut off. When the Agents of the Meatrix come to the farm, they give an rBGH shot, which is an artificial growth hormones that causes health problems.The young cows are separated from their birth mother and are fed with milk, partially made from cow's blood, which spreads Mad Cow Disease. Leo can't take this anymore and the fight starts between Agents and Moopheus, Chickity, and Leo, but Moorpheus is being kidnapped by the Agents.
The Meatrix Revolting II 1/2: Moopheus is taken to a Happy Farm factory where animals are being cut into pieces. The Agent shows him how humans work, with an incredible speed, sometimes they cut off their fingers, but it still goes with the rest of the food. The meat that is being processed is not clean enough because of the speed and the manure gets into the meat and causes E. coli(Escherichia coli) to spread. Finally, Leo and Chickity rescue Moopheus from the Happy Farm factory... CUT THE CRAP!

The Meatrix's 360-degree interactive tour of a factory farm(Response): Thank God I'm Vegeterian!!! Those short films called The Meatrix provided a lot of disturbing information about meat industry that I didn't know. One thing that really got under my skin is processing the meat, those poor cows are taken to the slaughterhouses after they can't produce enough milk. Since the factories want to produce as much meat as possible, the meat is not processed the way it should, some of the bacterias are still in the system. The speed of the tape that meat is transfered and cut is an unsafe environment for the workers, they get their fingers cut off and that is still being processed, packed and sold to people, the meat consumers who unknowingly buy and eat that meat and maybe someone's  fingers, honestly... That's gross.

Blog 8: The Net Is The Real World

      Tyler Clementi took his life away because two students, one of them was his roomate, Dharun Ravi, recorded something that should have been kept private. Dharu Ravi and Molly Wei invaded tyler's personal space by activating a Webcam in his dormroom. Cyberbullying is common in our society, and with the technology and access to internet, even from a cellphone, it's easy to record something and later expose it to the world's eyes. The cause for some cases of suicide and mental health problems could be prevented, if we just knew how not to abuse the access to internet.       John Suler wrote in his online book that people are capable of many things using internet, that would never do in real world. Disinhibition ia an online bullying, which a lot of people are exposed to everyday. If people would stay out of other's lives, there would be no boys like Tyler, jumping off the bridge.
      Some websites, like YouTube, have filters to prevent wrong videos from being revealed. But we have cameras, cellphones and bluetooths, which can come in handy for some cyberbullies. I know a story similar to Tyler's, but there was no suicide, yet. It was in high school, when my friend had a crush on a guy from my class. She was a freshman and we were juniors, he was 2 years older thatn her. He didn't really like her, but his guy-friends asked him to keep flirting with her. One day, they had a bet, to ask her for a naked picture of herself, stupid girl, she took that photo. Next thing I know, I get a text message with her face and breasts on my screen. I was the outcast and I still got the picture, that means, the entire school saw it. From everyone's phones, some how the picture ended up on Facebook and the girl had no life.  She dropped out of high school, and from what her Mom sais, she's in North Carolina, in a mental hospital.
      People affected by cyberbullying don't always commit suicide, some of us are mentaly stronger than others. It doesn't change the fact that invading someone's privacy won't hurt them in some way. It ended bad for Tyler and it wasn't that great for my friend, either. Stopping our urge to mess up someone's life by awefull pictures or videos being posted online can really make a change.

no Id: ARTIFACTS 1

I like Vladimir's Blog, because I agree with his point of view.no Id: ARTIFACTS 1: " Many times, people capture animals for different reasons; they believe animals could help them to make money. People use the skin ..."

CLASS BLOG: Now in our modern days almost everything is artifi...

I like this Blog because the picture and the idea of a fake beach is amazing. CLASS BLOG: Now in our modern days almost everything is artifi...: "Now in our modern days almost everything is artificials from foods to places such as beaches. One of the artificial beach that was created w..."

Exapmle #3: H.R. Giger Bar

A bar used to be a room with a bar, bartender, some furniture, and of course... people who are drinking. Not anymore, technology and the crazy ideas that people have changed the structures of buildings that are now designed.  Here we have an example of H.R. Giger's  Bar that looks as if we would be inside of human's body. The roof is made out of spine-like pieces, and the seats are matching to the rest of the bar's styling. I found this picture on google and it's breathtaking, the construction of every spine cord... It's not something that is seen on the streets on daily bases and it's amazing.

Example #2: Angels and Demons

The book Angels and Demons written by Dan Brown has modern/scientific and religious examples. The facts that at the beginning of the book, Mr.Langdon is taken to a scientific campus called CERN, which is apparently filled with many scientists from all over the world. Later they find out that an anti-matter was stolen. There is a lot of technological equipment involved and described which I don't know if it exists, but it sure does sounds... like it does. This book is an example of human's mind and its evolvement mixed with today's advancement of technology.

Example #1: The Bar Code Tattoo

When I think of modern life, first thing that comes to my mind is the book "The Bar Code Tattoo". It's about a teenage girl named Kayla who is trying to escape from Global-1 and Tatto Gen. A futuristic organization that was enforcing people, 18 years and older, to get a barcode on their wrists. The barcode contained all their personal information, and it also was used as a credit card. What people didn't know was that the Global-1 was taking a sample of their blood and testing it for any kind of diseases. When they found a trace of cancer or history of depression in their DNA, people were losing jobs, health insurance. It mostly lead to suicides, because people tried to cut it or burn it off their wrists. 

Brave New World:

Brave New World:

Bunniiii

Blog 7: I am a Cyborg.

 My day starts with taking advantage of technology, I don't have a build-in clock in my head, I need an alarm clock to wake me up. Thankfully, we don't live in caves anymore because I would have to make my coffee above the fire, seems kind of funny when I'm imagining it right now, I use a coffee maker which is set on specific time. I'm always on my cell phone, mostly texting either my Mom, Dad, my sister or my friends, I need it to contact my family or find out my schedule for work. Without it, I would be cut off from social life, I think that's my biggest addiction, next to that is my addiction to my Kindle. It's my life, I love reading books and some of them are really heavy. My Kindle has internet access and an Oxford dictionary, which helps me defining words that I don't understand. I can go on Facebook or check my mail on Kindle, and it's practical if I don't have an access to my laptop. When It's hard to admit, being an addict, especially Cyborg addict. I guess it's natural to be a Cyborg because most of the people are, it's comfortable and saves time. It might not be a good thing, because what if out of no where the electricity would run out, and there would be no power to charge the electronic devices? I would be helpless, then I would have to start writing letters instead of text messages, unbelievable.             

Brainstorming about Technology

Tool-(Dictionary) device or implement. (Thesaurus) instrument used to shape, form, finish.
Technology-(Dictionary) the application of scientific knowledge for practical purpose. (Thesaurus) electronics, science.
Cyborg-(Dictionary) a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body. (Thesaurus) robot.

      The words Tool, Technology, and Cyborg are similar in a way, they all have similar definition which brings them to science and knowledge. People need Tools to become more advanced in their studies. With the right tools the Technology will improve and evolve. And Cyborg is just a fantasy that was made with the tools and high advanced technology.
      Everyday I use some kind of technological device that improve my life:

• Alarm clock
• Cell Phone
• Computer
• Internet
• Metro Card
• Kindle
• Ipod
• Television
• Credit Card

      I wake up by the clock that is set in my cell phone, to get me up at a reasonable time. Before leaving my house I need to check my e-mail and the weather channel, my school is too far to walk, so I take the subway or the bus. While I'm riding the bus, I listen to an Ipod to shut of the noises from the street and read books on my eBook, which helps me avoid the bored, sleepy stares on my way to the destination. I don't usually carry money around, it just doesn't stay in my wallet for long, that's why I rather pay with the credit card. When I get home from school, I watch TV and usually do my homework on my laptop, internet  is the best human invention ever, you can find all types of information and gossip. If right now, someone would tell me to lead a life without those electronic devices, my life would be.... miserable.
     

Revising Blog 4: Summary of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" and “My Place in the Cave.”

Summary of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”

In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, Socrates is having a conversation with one of his followers, Glaucon. "It is true that many people around you may think you are weird or even a danger to the society, but you do not care. Once you have tasted the truth, you will not want to go back to being ignorant!".

The conversation between Socrates and Glaucon is about IGNORANCE in the society. Socrates’ theory of the ignorance for the truth is shown as a prisoner in the cave. As the prisoners were chained to the wall, underground, they were not allowed to turn their heads towards the passing figures, they could only hear sounds and see the shadows. They would FANCY for freedom, and the sight of sunlight. But if only one of those prisoners would be let free, he would CONTEMPLATE on what are the objects before him, at first. When he will finally get his vision accustomed, he will cherish the freedom and find himself in the right place.

Plato's thinks that people in the society sometimes live like they were in the cave for many months and when they come out, they feel blinded by the light. As soon as their vision gets accustomed, they never want to go back to that darkness. The choice to live in the light, truth, is wanted more than living in the darkness, ignorance.

My Place in the Cave

If I would be in the Socrates' Cave story, I would be still in the cave, chained to the wall. I'm blind(could say ignorant, in a way), and I don't mean that I'm blind because I wear glasses or contact lenses, I'm blind because I’m lacking information about my Dad’s true side.

I’m like those prisoners, they saw shadows and heard echos of foot steps. I see my Dad, who is hiding something from me and lies to me, and those lies are pouring from his mouths, like water from a waterfall.  I doubt that he’s doing it for protection. Sometimes it all turns into a blur.

I guess, me, still chained, is because I'm a naive person. I trust people too fast and too easy. I believe in them and then, its either they will do something against my will, or a thing that will hurt my heart. I can not ever know if my Dad is lying to me, he is really great at telling the stories but he does not have the backup for them, always blaming someone else for it and claiming that the evidence got lost so he can't prove it, so I can only trust him, and there, I get drowned later on, with all those lies.

My story doesn't end with a prisoner coming out from the Cave, yet. Seeing the light and stop being ignorant will happen eventually, so far the guards(life) don’t  want me to fulfill my knowledge, which symbolizes truth. Maybe there is something deep and dark, something that might scare me, change the picture about him,that he has been painting for me.

I've been wanting the truth from him and some kind of support for his theories about people, and the tales he is telling me. So far he doesn't want to talk to me that much, because he’s loosing a believer, Me. The ignorant one still is ignorant, lacking that knowledge, but maybe a little less than before. She’s starting to see the true picture and loosing the one that was painted for her by her hero, Dad.

Blog 6: The similarities and differences between Truman’s life in Seahaven and a reality TV shows

      Not many people cherish their private life, people try to sell their personalities or personal belongings for fame, money, or for both. They sell their handcrafts, or used stuff on websites like ebay. Places where they "sell" or "earn" fame or money with their persona is Television.      The similarities between Truman's life in Seahaven and reality TV show are that they both display life of people and how they deal with their life, with pain, or happiness. To see how other person reacts, teaches us how to react,or how not to react, to similar situations. I have seen on TV how people were throwing plates, cursing, or throwing punches at each other, just because the other person said something mean to them. Truman reacted the way his mind told him, he acted as there was no cameras in the room. They usually have limited space because the camera won't follow them through the entire world because that would cost much more money. Some reality shows have a house for the contestants to live in, for example "The Big Brother", but the people were not allowed to communicate eith the outside world, no TV, phones, or radio. They live on an islands, like "Survivor", or they live in a house but they are allowed to communicate with the outside world, like in "Jersey Shore". Truman also had limited space even though he lived in Seahaven and he worked and had access to TV and telephones, he couldn't leave the TV studio.
      What is different between The Truman Show and any other reality TV show is that Truman did not sign up for that, he was adopted by the TV company who started from one camera to around 5,000 cameras that followed Truman around. The Truman Show was on TV 24/7, without any break. Reality shows that are played now in TV, they pick different people from different backgrounds. Some of them might be rich and snobby, others might be poor and funny. The TV directors always make this mix of different people, just to spice up the show. Truman was the only one who did not know whats going on, everyone around him was playing a role, like in the movie. In todays reality shows, there are no actors, it's normal regular people who agreed to be in TV.
      This is selling your personality, it's an easier way to get famous and be recognized on the street. Instead of going to school, or developing your singing or acting talent people take the easy way to become famous. It's either getting the status of a party person by getting drunk everynight in a bar and dancing topless or bottomless, or pretending to be someone who they are not, just so the outside world will fall to your feet. This is not how the society works. there will never be a TV show like The "Truman Show", because it is against the human rights. It is one of the most important rights that should never be taken away from the people, the right to privacy and freedom at home.